EMOTIONS ran high during an awards ceremony staged to honour Birmingham’s real-life heroes.

Those gathered for the Birmingham Mail’s Local Heroes 2011 Awards were brought to tears as they heard the winners’ stories of bravery, selflessness and heroism.

Amongst those awarded was Harry Moseley, the Sheldon youngster who died last month after a four-year battle with an inoperable brain tumour.

While he was alive, the selfless youngster raised more than £500,000 for cancer charities by making and selling bracelets, as well as giving talks about his illness.

His dad Darren, sister Danielle and brother Louis attended the ceremony yesterday, held at The Novotel in the city centre’s Broad Street, and picked up the gong in his memory.

Trying to fight back tears, Danielle, 17, said: “Words can’t describe what my family are feeling now, but Harry always wanted Birmingham to back him. When we found out about this award he was in a coma, but I know he heard us tell him that his city was honouring him.

“Now we just ask people to continue supporting his campaign to raise more money to help others, just as Harry would have wanted.”

Others declared heroes included those who have inspired thousands of people following the riots, which devastated the city in August.

Tariq Jahan still insists he is “no hero” for directly appealing to the rioters to end their looting and violence, hours after his cherished son Haroon was killed along with his two friends as they protected their community in Winson Green.

A team of Good Samaritans, who formed The Birmingham Riots Clean Up Group in a bid to return the city’s streets to normality following the debacle, were also honoured.

Theatre worker Jonathan Thompson won his award for giving the kiss of life to a customer, while selfless Bob Clements was named a hero for raising cash for others, despite suffering serious illnesses himself.

Couple Mike and Thelma Sharpe clinched an award for their heroic partnership fighting a kidney illness and Jim Parkes was honoured for his work with youngsters.

Meanwhile, shopkeeper Ranjit Singh Dhami received his accolade for fighting off armed thieves at his Frankley store and injured war hero Karl Hinett won his award not only because of his bravery on the battlefield but for completing dozens of marathons in aid of charity. West Midlands Fire Service’s International Search and Rescue Team also won a gong for its work helping those in need in scenes of natural disasters across the world.

Birmingham Mail Editor Dave Brookes said: “There are all sorts of heroes – people who go the extra mile to do good in the community, those who give up hours of their time to help others, people who go through adversity, but never complain, and people who put their own lives in danger to save the life of another human being. It’s only right that we recognise their acts of bravery and that’s what these awards are all about.”

Jonathan Cheetham, manager of Birmingham’s Pallasades shopping centre, which sponsored the awards, said: “I’ve been fortunate to come to these awards since their inception nine years ago and I never fail to be bowled over by what are such truly inspirational people.

“These people are ordinary people doing extraordinary things and they make me extremely proud of Birmingham.”

The awards, sponsored by The Pallasades shopping centre and held in association with East End Foods and The Carphone Warehouse, were presented by Birmingham historian and Mail columnist Carl Chinn.

The ceremony was attended by some of the Midlands’ biggest media stars, including Heart DJs Ed James and Rachel New and BRMB’s Tom Ross, Dan Kelly and Katy Poulsom, as well as BBC Midlands Today presenters Suzanne Virdee and Nick Owen.